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Haunted Places - DHABZ makes a trip to the Baker Hotel


Dirty_habiT

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So I haven't been here in a while, and I've done a little bit of interesting

things in the past couple of days, one of which includes going to the

closed down and haunted Baker Hotel of Mineral Wells, TX. I will post a

couple pictures of the net and some quotes of the happenings that have

gone on there. Yesterday night we (my brother, my girlfriend, and

myself) got into the hotel at around 12AM... it took a while to muster the

courage to go in here, not to mention find a way in. We took quite a

few pictures in the dark there and hopefully we'll see something spooky

when they are developed. The place plain gave me the willys because I

had read some stories on the internet when I was finding directions to

the place.... so with out further hesitation I give you The Baker Hotel. I

encourage you to tell stories of ghosts and scary haunted places that

you have been to.

 

 

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I crossed that bridge last night, it leads into the side of the hotel and

goes over the car entrance... I swear that this place is creepier than

anything I've ever ventured into before. On the lower right of the

picture, you can't see it, but there's windows that look into the

basement, it wouldve been about a 30 foot drop to get in this way, so

we ended up having to climb up the short wall and railing, where we

found the only open door in the whole place. Everything else was

boarded shut.

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That's all for now. When I get my pictures developed I will post them

here. I leave you with a few links where you can go read the history

and some of the stories of odd things that have happened in this hotel.

One of the stories includes hearing a womans high heel shoes walking

but nobody being there. They say that this lady that haunts the place

was the mistress of an old hotel operator. She alledgedly killed herself

by jumping out of her bedroom window which was on the southeast

corner of the seventh floor. People have said they've smelt her

perfume before when being in the room she used to live in. They say

that she was very comfortable and spend much time in this room...

anyhow, the links....

 

www.spiritofthebaker.com

www.thebakerhotel.com

www.dfwparanormalresearch.com

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In response to Slave, yes, yes I was.... the pictures are going to be developed and posted soon.... it took us a little while because there were actually many ways to get in but only one that was usable.... we eventually found it. My girlfriend was thinking my brother and I were bullshitting when we said we found an open door. But we really had found one and that's how we did eventually get in... the place was wayyy too big to explore all right then. I was so chicken I didn't even want to go up any floors, not to mention we couldn't find any stairs, all the electricity and water was disconnected from the building. It was wayyy too dark and quiet in there. I walked around for a bit, but it just creeped me out so much. I feel like a wang for being so scared, but I was seriously not comfortable in the place.

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DHABZ!!!!!!!!!!!! where ya been homie..greatly missed..

 

 

anyway..

 

 

yeah..sooooooooo thats spoookyyyyyyyy.. it'd be one of those moments if i ddint know you were behind me and you said "boo" i'd start screaming at the top of my lungs ...

 

 

good thread! cant wait to see the flicks

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if you went in during the day time would it still be dark?

you could do so much exploring in a place like that, things like ghosts, and hanunted places dont scare me at all, mainly because i so strongly belive all that is bullshit and very psychological...

 

i thought you had returned though d-habz, as teh_0wnz or something no?

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Haha, no way man, I dunno who that other person is.:lick:

 

Rage - I thought the same thing. .. I remember a while ago when they posted that thread, it was the same type of big abandoned place. I was surprised that I had the juevo's to even go in there.

 

And about the flix, they are in my brother's camera... but soon, soon...

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There's a very creepy abandoned shack that an old drunkard used to live in in my neighbourhood. Apparently, his wife and daughters were killed, and he went nuts. Developers would offer him a ton of money, but he never sold, and lived in this shack, which was sort of an eyesore to a lot of people, considering the area is otherwise pretty nice.

 

I got a blowjob there, a little after he died, and a little before the developers tore the place down.

 

 

 

I want to see those pictures, dhabz.

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Originally posted by fatbastard

and hanunted places dont scare me at all, mainly because i so strongly belive all that is bullshit and very psychological...

 

you might change your mind if one day you made dinner in the kitchen and took it to the living room to eat. but on the way you forget the salt, so you put your dinner down, walk back into the kitchen only to find that all the cupboard doors are open and the water is running full blast.

 

it sorta trips you out..

 

 

 

 

thats one creepy ass place...

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Some of the links are breaking up there... anyway, here's some more pictures and a couple quotes off websites for you all to enjoy while we wait for the other pictures.

 

 

The Woman on the Seventh Floor

 

The stories of ghosts and hauntings began in the Baker long before it ever closed. A porter who worked there during the 1950's and 1960's was the first known to witness the ghost of the woman on the seventh floor. She was possibly the mistress of the hotel manager. Distraught from her affair she jumped to her death from the top of the building. The year of the incident has not been verified but the room she stayed in, apparently quite comfortably, was a suite on the southeast corner of the seventh floor. Many have reported smelling her perfume and her spirit is said to be quite flirtatious with men she may fancy.

 

Recently a woman, who worked as a maid in the hotel, reported that on several occasions she found glasses in the room with red lipstick stains on the rims. This took place at times when no one was staying in the room.

 

Jane Catrett who is assisted by Ronny Walker now manages the building. Ronny manages tours of the building on weekends when time allows and is quite knowledgeable on the history of the hotel as well as the reports of a few sightings of disembodied guests.

 

Ronny reported one night he was near the main lobby on the first floor when he heard the distinct sound of a woman in high heals walking across the lobby. Thinking the footsteps to be those of Jane Catrett he yelled out her name; however, the footsteps faded away and upon further inspection, Ronny found himself all alone. Later he discovered that Jane had not been in the building that day.

 

On another occasion, Ronny reported being on the 7th floor re-setting an electrical breaker to the Christmas lights, which continuously tripped every night during display. As he was inspecting the fuse box, attempting to locate the breaker switch, he heard the footsteps of an unseen person walking up to his left - quietly - as if not to bother him. A bit startled, he turned to look and saw no one. Ronny spoke to the possible ghosts and assured them he meant no harm. After that night the lights never tripped off again.

 

The "Brazos Room"

 

Another incident occured during a tour of the hotel by a group of W.W.II veterans and their spouses. As the group entered the "Brazos Room" on the first floor, which was the main dining room and dance area, a couple suddenly stopped. The woman looked at her husband and asked, "Do you hear that?" He replied, "Why, I certainly do". About that time several other people in the group began to hear sounds of dishes and silverware clanking as well as people talking with orchestra music in the background. Most of the people there reported this event. It has never happened before nor since - according to the source - but the witnessess were sure they were experiencing the ghostly echoes of a time long past.

 

Douglas the Elevator Operator

 

The most eerie story of the old Baker would have to be the tragic tale of the death of a young elevator operator by the name of Douglas Moore. The original story was told that in 1948, Douglas went to work at the Baker and quickly began to earn a lot of money - perhaps too much - for an elevator operator.

 

After a period of gainful employment, Douglas confessed to his mother that he had become a minor part of an illegal prostitution racket in the hotel. His mother insisted that he quit. Douglas went a step farther and reported the happenings to the local authorities not knowing that some were actually involved in the ring.

 

Douglas was laid off but was suddenly called back to work two weeks later. Upon returning to his job he found himself in the basement playing around in the service elevator late one night with two other bellboys. This particular elevator had a call button that would send it rapidly from the basement to the top elevator room without stopping.

 

It was reported by the other two boys that one of them accidentally depressed the call button when Douglas was not completely inside the elevator - suddenly trapping his body halfway out and severing him at the waist. Many believed the two boys were paid to kill Douglas.

 

Some have reported seeing the ghost of Douglas lurking about in the basement area. Some say that only the upper portion of his body and his head can be seen, the lower portion is of course, missing. While on one of my personal visits to the Baker, I must admit, this location, where the young boy died, was the one that just gave me a very uneasy feeling.

 

In a discussion with a local psychic, then later with a distant relative of Douglas, I learned the true story of the death of the hard-working young man. Douglas apparently was never a part of a prostitution ring. Actualy he was a 15-year-old boy who came from a poor family. He never drove a fancy car, which some have said, and he didn't make a lot of money.

 

Douglas and his friend, Logan Shoemake, were horsing around one evening as teenagers do. Logan was operating the service elevator, which had no guard on it, which allowed one to hop aboard as it was moving. Logan was raising the elevator and it was about four feet above the floor level, when young Douglas attempted to jump in. His friend Logan saw he couldn't make it and attempted to pull him back. Douglas's body was crushed at the waist. He died within half an hour of the accident. The Hotel paid for all funeral arrangements. It was a tragic event and one from which, the family never fully recovered.

 

Investigation

 

With so many sightings in such a landmark, it was time to see if any of it could be proven. In October 2000, two Paranormal Investigation teams, "DFW Ghostwatchers" from Dallas and "Lone Star Spirits" from Houston were contacted to perform a full-scale investigation.

 

With about $100,000.00 worth of high tech scientific instrumentation, the teams began a full-scale research mission on the Baker that took three visits to complete.

 

Investigator Dusty Rainbolt, of DFW, using a digital camera, photographed hundred's of orbs. Orbs, according to some experts, are actual spirits of the dead. Orbs were photographed throughout the building with the largest concentration being in the basement, and on the fifth, seventh and fourteenth floors. Dusty also captured an orb partially hidden behind a door which she said was most unusual.

 

She also captured, what appeared to be, two very distinct "ecto mist" apparitions in the 14th floor ball room. Another photographer/investigator, Weems Hutto, was taking still shots with a 35 mm camera at the same time and captured what appeared to be another ecto mist above the first photographer. Another psychic who accompanied the team reported "seeing" an old woman in a wheelchair in the southeast corner of the ballroom who kept saying, "I can't do it", "I can't do it".

 

On one night the fifth floor was the most active. Donna, the psychic with the group, felt hesitant and nauseous as she moved toward the west end of the fifth floor. She said someone was trying to make the team "sick" so they would leave. She refused to go any farther in that direction. Later, members of Lone Star Spirits who visited the area began to choke and cough at the same spot, unaware of Donna's earlier experience.

 

Donna was then drawn to a room on the north end of the fifth floor where she sensed a young woman making rustling sounds with her dress. Donna reported the young girl to be moving to and fro, making sure her makeup was just right. She said the spirit would move around the men in the group and was especially attracted to a certain one. She went on to say she sensed a man about to knock on the door to escort her to a dance in the Sky Room.

 

Another psychic named Wayne, later joined the group on the fifth floor, and confirmed Donna's findings. He added that he had picked up on "disgust and discomfort" on the west end and said the area was occupied by a large disgusting man who wanted everyone to leave. Wayne said he found suffering and disease in the area.

 

A time-lapse video camera was placed in the first floor Brazos room and over a four-hour period various objects appeared moving. 151 objects - to be exact. The room had been closed off to the party and entrance was not allowed by anyone "living". The objects could have been dust motes reflecting light, but some were moving orbs.

 

An audio of the basement elevator area captured the distinct sound of a man screaming in agony. A different group recorded the same sound on another investigation in June 2001. It would have been difficult for anyone in the team to mimic the sound since the area had been locked to keep everyone out.

 

One of the expedition members gets nauseous whenever she gets around haunted places. At the Baker she was unable to stay more than a few minutes before she was forced to leave - very ill.

 

In May 2001, nine journalism students from Weatherford High School spent a Saturday night in the hotel, not really putting much interest in the ghost stories. The group, of course, thought differently after their visit.

 

A picture taken of the students on the fourteenth floor ballroom shows them enveloped by hundreds of orbs, which they never actually saw. Another picture taken by the only female in the group captures, what appears to be the profile of a blond woman's head. No one in the group had blond hair, let alone, long blond hair. The picture was taken in a darkened room.

 

With so much activity in the building it may be one of the most haunted places in Texas if not in the country. One psychic claimed to have counted at least 49 different spirits in the building. The investigations are not complete and are currently being continued by "Dagulf's Ghost", another professional paranormal investigating team. With so much paranormal activity, the Baker has become a hot spot for investigators. It is hopeful that in time, more proof of the restless spirits will be documented.

 

 

 

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Some of this stuff, if not all of it, sounds to me to be very believable and true. I doubt the fact that very much if any of these stories are urban legends. Many bad things did happen to people inside this particular hotel, as the stories tell. But, also, they say alot of spirits are attracted to the Baker because it represented a very good time in their lives. I went there myself, and have plans to return and explore it further. And, I, personally, can say that the place gives you a very unsettling feeling... I honestly believe that even if I had not read the ghost stories before going I would still have felt very odd about the place. It's way too big for ghosts to NOT be haunting it. I know there had to have been something supernatural in there when I was, even if it was floors above me. My brother and my girl claim to have heard what sounded like an old rusty bike being pedaled.... but I don't remember hearing anything, of course, this could also be credited to all the nervous chatter we were making. I was so scared in there, there were many times when I saw a chair sitting in a spot that "someone was sitting in" at some time or the other.... and I was scared to death of sitting in any chair, we had to keep moving. I entertained the idea of sitting in the chair for a moment, but when I actually thought about it, there was no way in hell I could've even felt comfortable enough to do anything but stand and walk and chatter nervously. So, that should give you a good idea of how weird this place was.

 

--DHabz

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http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasPanhandleTowns/MineralWellsTexas/BakerHotelOPC1.jpg'> http://tlewis777.tripod.com//sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/baker.jpg'>

Once arriving at the Baker on both occasions, we were still amazed at the size of the Baker.

 

After a 3-½ hour drive from Oklahoma to Texas, fatigue set in, but our energy quickly returned at the mere site of this hotel.

 

....They gym hold great accousitcs, therefore the sound was amplified. There was a door that was left open, that is usually closed , we tried to recreate the sound, by slamming the door shut, the sound was similar, but once again, the door was open when we got there. During our time of tracking this noise, we were lead to the basement. We witnessed something strange on the stairs leading to the basement, wet footprints began at the lower part of the stairs, and continued down the halls cement floor. The footprints stopped in the middle of the trail, leading to nowhere. Photos were taken. Water being on the stairs is not common, one of the caretakers asured us there was no leaks in that area, and a standing pool of water is a new phenomena. We continued to look for tresspassers, and found nothing. The doors were locked after we finished up in that area, if there were vandels, they are still in the Baker basement. (ha ha)...

 

Possible apparitions were seen on two occasions during this visit. The first was a small child running into one of the rooms of the Baker. This was witnessed by two people. Sky Room- later in the evening, we assisted Jeff, one of the caretakers of the Baker to the Sky room, as we entered, we seen a person standing on the ledge of the balcony, thinking it was a tresspasser, we approached slowley, I video taped this possible apparition, as we soon realized it was not a living person. The figure stared over the ledge for about 4 min, as we took slow steps to approach it, and get it on video.The sky room is a large room, and I was having trouble getting focused on the apparition.The figure was a woman, standing with arms folded, staring over the ledge, not moving, just standing there, then she was gone. Was this the infamous "lady" who was pushed or jumped from the Ballroom ledge? Video is being analyzed at this moment, we have our fingers crossed that what we seen, appeared on the video tape. Potential EVP is currently being analyzed. This time around, there was a great deal of focus on EVP, and time was spent on working with the buildings natural accoustics to collect audible EvP.

 

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Website - lots of pictures to look at of the interior here.

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i cnt wait for those pictures neither. sounds awesome. ive always wanted to visit an abandoned building that big, but due to my location not-a-shit-to-doville alabama(no less) i cant visit any. yet. i havent really made any friends, much less any ones who would enjoy going exploring in places like that, but im working on it. the only perk to my location, is that the people at my university boast having the most haunted campus in the usa. i dont really know about all the ghosts yet, but ill try to find the website where the stories are posted.

 

*edit: here we go...

 

_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_

Montevallo ghosts give spirit to campus By Barbara Stanley, Features Editor

Alabamian Oct. 20, 1988

 

The University of Montevallo campus has been the "unresting place" for many ghosts throughout the years of the school's existence. At least six, if not more, are thought to linger at different locations around the University, each with their own unique reason for staying here.

 

The ghost of Captain Henry Clay Reynolds is believed to inhabit his own Reynolds Hall. His story reveals that he was a lieutenant during the Civil War and was in charge of guarding The Chapel (now Reynolds Hall). The Chapel was used as an infirmary for injured, Southern soldiers, and was attacked by Sherman's men who were on their way to destroy Briar Field Iron Works. Reynolds had left The Chapel unguarded so Sherman's men slaughtered everyone inside.

 

The story of Captain Reynolds has been proven to be false. In actuality, Reynolds was not in Alabama during this time. He was in Virginia. There is proof of this since letters exist that he had written to his wife. Also, the record shows no one was killed in Montevallo when this was said to have happened. This untrue account of Reynolds life, which is believed by many people, was made up by a mass communications major as a project for class.

 

Reynolds' connection with the University is that he took the job as President when Julia Tutwiler turned it down. Tutwiler thought the school would not make it so she did not want the job as president of a failing school. According to Mary Frances Tipton, Library Director at UM and an expert on the ghost stories, the only explanation for Reynolds to haunt Reynolds Hall would be because the Board of Trustees asked him to leave his position as president, the reason being because he was accused of handling money unwisely. Reynolds supposedly had invested school money in a Selma bank that failed for himself, and had the students purchase school supplies from his own store downtown. All checks were made out to the president, not to the institution.

 

Reynolds left the school very bitterly, because he knew if had not been for him, the school would have folded in its early years. This is the only reason Tipton believes that Reynolds' ghost would still be there.

 

One story told of Reynolds' ghost is about a student known as "The College Night Kid." The student was rehearsing for College Night when he left to go take some medication. The other participants heard a scream and found him dead of a heart attack near the water fountain. Reynolds' ghost supposedly scared him to death.

 

Another strange, happening concerning Reynolds' spirit involves the picture which hangs in the lobby of Reynolds Hall. Once, when the picture was replaced, it strangely appeared back in its original position, leaving the replacement on the floor.

 

The story of young Condie Cunningham is Main's contribution to the ghosts of Montevallo. Miss Cunningham died on Feb. 4, 1908 at 9:30 p.m.

 

Condie and her friends were up late on Feb. 2 making fudge. When the time came for lights out, the girls weren't yet finished. In a hurry to finish the fudge, a bottle of alcohol was spilled near the chafing dish they were using to prepare the fudge.

 

While trying to blow out the flame on the chafing dish, the fire was directed toward the alcohol which caught on fire. In turn, Condie's nightgown caught on fire. Her roommate tried to put the blaze out, but Condie ran out of the room and into the hall. She died two days later from her burns.

 

The legacy of Condie Cunningham is that one can see her running through Main covered in flames.

 

Another story involving Main is the story of the door on fourth floor. The door, now painted over, was believed to be the door to the room where the student hung herself. Her face could be seen inside the wood, and reappeared each time the door was replaced.

 

The ghost of W.H. Trumbauer, Trummy, is thought to inhabit Palmer Auditorium. He is looked for during College Night final rehearsal because he swings the battens over the play that is supposed to win. Trumbauer was known to be a perfectionist so his approval is taken seriously.

 

The possibility of Trummy is easily accepted because he was a great follower of College Night and the Theatre itself.

 

There were once mirrors which lined the walls of the dressing room in downstairs Palmer, where a student claimed he saw ghostly women in long dresses preparing for a performance. He said that the women were from a time period long past. During Palmer's great renovation, the mirrors were removed and either kept or destroyed by the men renovating the building.

 

The ghostly women were taken away with the mirrors. Now only one of the mirrors is still there. The mirror was not removed with the rest because it was hidden behind a door which was left open during the renovation period, but there haven't been any reports of the women visiting the dressing room since then.

 

Another more recent story took place in 1973. Behind the overflow parking lot, a girl and her boyfriend got into a argument. She wanted to break up with him, but he wasn't going to allow her to do this, so he choked her to death. The boy was arrested and may still be in jail at this time. It is believed that the girl haunts the shack that is in the area of her violent death.

 

The "lady of the rock" is one that has yet to gain a good explanation for existing. A woman is believed to reveal herself around the Alpha Tau Omega rock and is said to be crying for a lost lover. Why? No one knows the reason she has chosen this rock as her place to mourn. Only a few people have ever seen her.

 

The ghost on campus that has received the most fame is the ghost of Edmund King Jr.

 

Kathryn Windham, the author of 13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey Introduces 13 More Alabama Ghosts, was browsing through old annuals when she found the story of Edmund King Jr., which she chose to write about in her second book.

 

King moved to Montevallo from Georgia in 1815, when he built the King house, then called Wilson's Hill or "Mansion House," because of its size for its time. King was a rich man who buried his money in an orchard which was beside his house. Tipton says the orchard may have been located where Harman is now. In 1863, King was either killed in his orchard by a falling limb or died of digestive trouble. It has been said that King's ghost sits in one of the upstairs bedrooms and counts his money.

 

Tipton said that two women who were here at UM with the Dancey Lecture Series spent the night in the upstairs bedrooms and heard the sounds of King. Though they were a little disturbed, they stayed the night.

 

they diddnt mention the ghost who lives in my dorm building, whose anme escapes me at the moment, who is apparently a fan of practical jokes. im told you see him leaning against a wall flipping a coin. when he sees you, he turn in your direction and runs at you at full speed only to scare you by going straight through you. theres another haunted place off campus in no-a-shit-to-do town on a bridge where apparently a native american man was hung to death. theres one more ghost they diddnt metnion in the article and thats mr king's maid. shes worth mentioning i guess only because shes there, i dont think she does much excpet look around. the end

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heres my ghost story.

 

when i was about 16, i was at this girls house and her and i were laying on the couch, it was probably about 1130 and it was only her, her mom, and i in the house. the master bedroom was on the main floor, and her room on the top floor. we saw her mom walk by and go upstairs but not turn on any lights. wierd. then about 5 minutes later her mom walked out of her room to say goodnight..wiiierd.

 

then we went to her room to go to sleep, and we were layin in bed, and all of a sudden there was someone in the corner of the room. like i know for sure that i saw someone, and when she said she did too i almost shit myself. her mom came upstairs and turned on the light and then the person was gone. i know this sounds like something you could just make up, but for sure i know i saw something. thats the reason i believe in ghosts and stuff nowadays.

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whats the word for when someone sees a dead relative? i have heard several instances where they see their dead relative the first time in the clothes they died in, then again in the clothes they were buried in. all the of these instances, however, the people said that the second time(if not both times) their relative looks slightly different. not as in appearance, btu somehow they get the feeling that its not them. sometimes there are siniter looks on their faces. i know theres a word for this but i dont quite know what it is

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